Once Upon a Summer's Eve
by IAmSheWhoIsMe
Summary: Medieval AU: Raven has been living with a royal family for ten years in safety, free from her mysterious past, with her sister Princess Starfire. When their father requests her to be married off for the sake of the kingdom's safety, she dutifully agrees. Her life is completely changed the minute she leaves the castle and finds a boy that could save her from darkness. BBRae, RobStar
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys...this is my first Teen Titans fanfic...I'm super excited because I've loved these guys forever and I hope that you guys like my idea! ^-^**

**Enjoy! Review and favorite, maybe? ;D**

Ten years. It had been ten years, 120 months, 3,652 days since her life had been shifted. Changed. Rocketed into something she never saw coming, never could've dreamed of coming.

It had been ten years that she's had a family.

A family that actually _cared_ about her, fed her at meals, comforted her when she had nightmares, and treated her as their equal. She's had that going for her for _a whole damn decade_ and it still seems like she'll wake up and find herself back.

Back in that living hell.

"Raven?" A quiet voice asked with a soft knock on her door.

Raven looked away from the moon she was gazing at out her floor-to-ceiling window and turned towards the door with a hint of a smile. She had not been the only one to remember this joyous occasion.

"Come in Starfire," She said, and her sister burst inside giddily, long fiery hair flowing down her back and green eyes sparkling with joy. She wore a simple white night gown that nearly tripped her in her rush to get to Raven.

It's true the two were not really blood related; Raven had much darker hair, tiptoeing the line between purple and black with eyes identical in color, but they were both young when Raven had joined her at the dinner table one night. Starfire never questioned it, but rather set out to become Raven's best friend, and has exceeded her expectations ever since. Raven was proud to consider this girl her sister; she had never had a real sister before.

"Oh Raven, it is the night of your coming! Oh so long ago, do you remember that far back?" Starfire beamed, but her eyes still held a tinge of sympathy. It was for what she knew about Raven's old home - no, prison - and the memories had not been good.

Raven nodded slowly and looked back out into the night. "Not as fresh as I used to, but it's still there. It's a part of me, and I've come to accept it."

"Oh sister, you have grown up so much!"

Starfire flung her arms around Raven and squeezed her tightly. Raven smiled and gently patted her back; she would never get used to the very intrusive ways of expression her new family had.

"Will we be doing the celebrating today?" She asked excitedly.

Raven shook her head, "I tell you every year, I don't need to be celebrated Star."

"Oh but you do! Today is when I finally got a sister, a good sister, and a very close friend! That is most certainly a time to be doing the celebrating!" Her lightened face softened a little, "And we still consider it your day of birth. We all wish to celebrate a time when someone like yourself was brought into this world."

Raven continued to look out across the land before her, holding back emotions for fear of hurting or scaring Starfire. She had never celebrated a "day of birth" before this family; she didn't even know when she really was born. Everyone says that a day of birth is a revival, and that we were brought into a new life on the day of our birth; that's why today is considered my special day.

"If I say yes, you cannot go and plan a large party like you did last year! That was horrific," Raven warned, shuddering at the memory.

Starfire giggled, "But it is the day you are no longer a child, sister Raven. Today you are a true princess of this land."

Raven stared at her sister; she knew this day was coming, the day when she was old enough to not be bossed around by the older siblings or certain people around the village. Today she was 17, and being an outsider brought into a royal family, this means the day she gets her full honorary titles as Princess Raven of Tamaeran.

"You are most indeed excited?" Starfire asked slowly, her eyebrows narrowing.

Raven lost her grip for a second and beamed widely, causing a nearby vase to shatter into pieces. She shook her head and focused. The family came to learn about her...unique abilities in quite a short amount of time, what with the anger and hatred and fear built up deep within her soul, surrounded by strangers that reacted soully with obnoxious displays of emotion. The King, her father, had told her that everyone has something that makes them special; a lot of people in the land had abilities, whether big or small, and if the ability was a good thing or a bad thing, she just has to figure that out for herself. And with such support, she has been able to control them better; everyday she was stronger, more in command, and one day, her powers would not dictate her, but rather the other way around.

"My apologies," Raven sighed wearily.

Starfire hugged her again. "It is of no worry. That vase was never my favorite anyway." She giggled to break the tension. "I will see you for breakfast, sister! Father says we have big things planned today!"

They said their goodnights and Raven crawled back into bed, the light of the moon pouring onto her and lulling her into a restless sleep, filled with nightmares of her past, but she didn't want to wake up.

Because she feared that she wouldn't be in the same bed she fell asleep in.

**Ahhh! So exited!**

**I'm going to be switching from Raven to Beastboy periodically (this is a BBRae, RobStar fic just so we're all clear)...along with a few special surprises ;)**

**Up next...you'll see!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my gosh, people actually like this? Thank you SO much to everyone who followed, favorited, and especially to **_LoveAgain21_ **for your review. It truly made me happy :)**

**So here's the second lil bit! **

*****Quick note, Cyborg is just Cy and Beast Boy is just Beast for the sake of the AU theme. Also I added Speedy and Kid Flash who is just Flash; I label them as young twins and I recognize they aren't, but it's my story so shove off :)*****

**Also if Beast Boy sounds off...he's suppose to.**

**Otherwise, please read and continue to kind of like it! **

"RISE AND SHINE BUDDY, TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!"

The creature in the bed burrowed deeper under his blankets, praying that this nightmare would end, but the other boy was insistent on getting him up. He pulled back the flap to let in the daylight, earning a groan from the covers, and ran to jump on the bed with a wide grin.

"WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!"

"Alright Speedy, I'm up! Hey, cut it out! I'M UP!" The older boy growled, and the younger chuckled and ran away quickly, fearing the wrath the older boy had in the morning. He sat up and stretched, scratching his side before rubbing his eyes. The sun poured in on him and he soaked it in for a minute before standing in his "bed". He didn't remember falling asleep, but remembering the party from the night before drew a light smile across his cheeks.

He walked outside his tent, not bothering to throw on a shirt, and walked over to a makeshift table and sat down with his brothers. The two youngest twins, Speedy and Flash, were getting ready to wake up their older older brother, and he did not want to be there when it happened. Cy, the oldest, was cooking something over the fire and placed it on a plate of silver before handing it to him.

He looked down at his food and snarled, throwing a sausage at Cy's head and shouting, "You know I don't eat meat Cy! What the hell!"

"I honestly thought you'd be too tired to notice Beast," The older boy chuckled.

Beast crossed his arms and began picking at the minimal vegetation on the platter when he heard yelling from the other tent.

"Looks like we'll be having the twins cooked up too," Cy sighed. "Honestly, Robin can be worse than you sometimes."

Beast shrugged and polished off the vegetables and took the twins' portions knowing they wouldn't touch them before slithering back into his tent. He looked through his partially clean clothes and managed to find a pair of black pants and a matching shirt that didn't secrete his...unique smell.

Turning back to his four brothers, he noticed Robin finally awake, just barely dealing with the twins, and Cy finishing up his cooking. Beast cautiously walked over to Robin and sat down beside him, waiting as patiently as he could for his older brother to finish eating.

"Is there something I can help you with, _Garfield_?" Robin spat, clearly pissed at the early morning intrusion, though never turned to even acknowledge his younger sibling.

Beast wrinkled his nose. "Only mom and dad can...could call me Garfield!"

He sighed, "What do you want, Beast?"

Beast looked down at his hands and noticed the other three listening in. "Uhhh can I talk to you somewhere...privately?"

Robin glanced at Beast and nodded, pushing the rest of his food away. "My tent. I need to get ready."

Beast followed his brother, who closed and sealed the tent behind them. It was much cooler in there and easier for Beast to concentrate, though he was still unnerved. Robin gave him space and began to get changed, clearly aching from the previous night as much, if not more than Beast was.

"I'm having second thoughts about this, Robin," Beast said slowly.

Robin paused what he was doing and raised an eyebrow at him. "Second thoughts? About what?"

"Well...this is the first time I'll be leading just you guys by myself with no guidance from mom and dad, and it's just kind of nerve-wracking...what if I screw up? What if I get one of the twins, or Cy, or you killed? I already got..." He paused and took a deep breath. "I could never live with more pain Robin."

Robin walked over and set a firm hand on Beast's shoulder, looking him straight in the eye through his mask. "I know you're scared, hell I was scared the first time I led. But with mom and dad...out of the picture, you need to step up for the twins, as well as for the memory of our parents. We can't expect to sleep right at night unless we pull this off right, got it?"

Beast nodded and turned to go, but asked, "It's just going to be the heir, right? No one else is going to get hurt because of us?"

Robin smiled and clapped his back, "You know we don't hurt people. We just do what we can to get along."

Beast left the tent to find Cy going over the escape plan with the twins. He glanced at Beast, who gave him a nod, and Cy grabbed the two youngsters by their shoulders.

"Are you idiots ready to make some serious meat?"

Flash and Speedy beamed excitedly before dashing off into the woods. Beast was about to follow when Cy stopped him.

"Hey Beast, have you been feeling alright lately?" Cy asked slowly.

"What do you mean? I'm fine," Beast said, stepping away from his brother.

Cy watched him go and Robin walked up next to him.

"I've been noticing it too."

"He won't even crack the lame jokes, man."

Robin sighed. "He takes the blame for mom and dad on himself."

Cy stiffened; this wasn't his favorite topic. "He shouldn't. We all contributed."

"Try telling that to the one who first introduced them."

The two shrugged off memories they had sworn to forget and trudged on behind Beast and the two smaller boys. They left their supplies hidden in the trees, at the summit of a mountain overlooking a small kingdom.

**Woo excitement!**

**Tell me your thoughts, suggestions, or just favorite/follow! It really means a lot that people don't think is as terrible as I do...**

**Till next time dearies.**


	3. Chapter 3

**EEEEE more love! I LOVE it :D**

**So this is just a transition chapter, I apologize, and the next kind of will be too, but then it's party time! Wooo!**

Raven hesitantly cracked one eye open and breathed out a sigh of relief at seeing the same ceiling she had been seeing for the past ten years. All alone, she smiled to herself with pure happiness, and then masked her face quickly before climbing out of bed to follow her morning routine. On her way to her closet, she glanced out at the rising sun over the mountains that surrounded their valley, and the colors that danced through the sky was a marvelous sight to behold.

It was one of the many reasons Raven woke up early.

She noticed, stepping into her closet, that there was a dress hanging up in plain sight that she had never seen before. She groaned internally, reading the note attached even though she could practically guess what it said.

_You would look as radiant as a star (not me, but the ones you look at during the night) if you wore this today!_

_Love, Starfire_

There was a cute little heart after it, and Raven crumbled up the piece of paper and tossed it aside, ignoring the dress. She loved her sister dearly, but Starfire never understood that Raven was still a daughter of the night, and preferred darker, less eye-catching clothes. Instead she threw on a black dress with lace sleeves and a lace skirt that overlay the actual fabric, after putting on necessary undergarments. It was her favorite dress, and she delicately put on a jeweled belt. It was given to her from her old life, supposed to help her control herself when her emotions became too much, and she always felt calmer wearing it.

It was from the one person she cared about from that life.

She then proceeded to throw a dark blue cape around her shoulders and fasten it with a jewel like the one on her belt. To top it off, she put her mess of hair in a loose but decently neat bun. Today she would be receiving the final piece of her ensemble; a crown that circled her forehead with a circular jewel in the center. It was whatever her father and King deemed fitting for her; all of the siblings had a different crown, especially different for sisters versus brothers.

The King had adopted many children before Raven came to him, but she was his last. Starfire, her older sister Blackfire, and their younger brother Red Star were his actual blood children, but his Queen had passed away shortly after having Red Star. Starfire told me that their mother told father to be a generous man, and to keep our lands free, and to offer charity and kindness to those who needed it.

There had been a total of 11 children at one time, but many had grown and left the kingdom. Blackfire was the oldest and had long since been married off to some rich prince to the West. Some boys had been struck down fighting in wars to keep the peace before Raven had arrived, and they weren't discussed often. Two of the girls who were now just around Raven's age when they left had also been married off in peace treaties, to the South and East, and hadn't been heard of since. The only children to remain were Raven, along with Starfire, Red Star, who was to be the next heir to the throne, and Terra, the youngest at just 13.

It terrified Raven to know that she was the oldest in the house amongst the children. She had been for almost a year, but today being the day it was, she was more so terrified because of the responsibilities she now had on her shoulders.

Raven greeted her father at the breakfast table, and they waited patiently for Starfire to come downstairs, disappointed that her sister had not worn the dress she had chosen. Red Star joined them shortly after, and Terra was the last to bound down the stairs, causing the ground to shake with every footstep. Raven almost wished she still had that kind of energy.

"Good morning children," Their father chimed.

"Good morning father," They replied, obviously having done this countless times before. Raven loved that there was a routine to things in this family.

"Today is a very special day for a very special woman," The King said, grinning at Raven. "Do you feel old yet?"

"Not old like you, father," She said with a small smile, and the other children chuckled.

"Oh your time will come, but for now, we have other matters to discuss." His tone shifted from pleasant to solemn abruptly, causing everyone's focus to be on him.

"What is the matter, dear father?" Starfire asked, taking his hand.

He squeezed her fingers before running a shaky hand through his hair. "There has been much trouble coming from the North. The band of robbers that has been devasting the Titanians has been slowly moving from their kingdom into Tamaeran, and now I fear they mean to strike us."

"How many are there?" Terra asked in awe.

"From the stories, I can only guess a small army at the least."

"Why have those in Titania not taken them out yet?" Red Star inquired angrily. "They only wish to push the problem unto us!"

"Easy, son, do not be so easily angered. We cannot assume anything about the Titanians from our stance," The king stated. "I am afraid your travels are cancelled for today, though, as they no longer want you to fight with them, but instead demand something more...substantial." He sighed, "They said that the King would be willing to help rid us of this band of robbers if we were to form...an alliance."

"What alliance?" Raven narrowed her eyes, suspicious of where this was going.

Her father sensed that she was wary and looked at her before stating plainly, "An alliance of marriage."

Starfire and Terra burst out into angry yells, and Red Star added in bits of how he could easily take out these robbers if they let him. Raven, however, remained staring at her father, who never tore his eyes away from her. He had promised her when she first entered this household that she could be her own woman when she grew up, to be a princess and queen wherever she chose, because she was special to him.

And now, his eyes were begging for her to forgive him.

"Enough!" Raven yelled above the noise, and a hush fell over the others.

"Raven?" Starfire asked quietly, laying a hand on her arm.

Raven stood, and said flatly, "When should I be ready to leave?"

The king stared at her with such sympathy, pathetic sympathy she thought she deserved but didn't care about at all anymore. He slumped his head in defeat. "The carriage will leave before high noon."

Raven nodded and returned to her room quickly. She only had one trunk, because she hadn't had enough time to accumulate so much stuff, and in it she neatly packed several of her dresses, some of the jewelry Starfire had given her over the years, and a few mementos of the life she was leaving behind.

Going into the closet, she stared at the dress Starfire had given her. It was a beautiful gown, made of scarlet silk and spun into a strapless, tight-fitting dress that would've gone down to Raven's ankles, fitting to her body down to her knees where it began to flow outward like a mermaid's tail. It had an imbedded design of swirls and a white sash around the center, complete with a white rose clipped into the vertex of the sweetheart neckline. It was absolutely gorgeous, but not Raven's style.

Nonetheless, she stashed it in her trunk. She would hate to leave Starfire feeling like she was helpless and insignificant. Really, she hated to leave Starfire, and Red Star, and even annoying little Terra.

But she had a duty to pay back to this kingdom.

Tears sprung to her eyes, and before she could hold back, objects were flying everywhere, smashing against one another and on walls. She covered her head and let her sobs continue until there was nothing left standing in her room, and she couldn't help but run out. She leaned against the door, forcing her body to calm itself. She wasn't this anymore...she had promised that much when she left her old life.

Raven brought her trunk down to the gates, where a carriage was waiting. The driver, Gunther, offered her a nod of the head and helped her place her trunk on the back of the carriage. She turned towards her family on the doorstep, and watched as Starfire teared up and begged to run over to Raven, but she knew that wasn't part of their customs.

Once an alliance had been agreed to, the person was no longer theirs.

"Goodbye," Raven mumbled, climbing into the carriage and staring out the back as it took her away. Away from happiness, away from hope...

Away from safety.

**Ooooo what's gonna happen?!**

**Stay tuned my pets...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello friends! I got two reviews last night, that was so very exciting! **_TigerLily957_**, I completely understand your confusion and criticism. I was kind of rushing last chapter and this one because I wanted to get to them actually interacting, and I apologize for the bad writing that was a result of that :)**

**Enjoy, review, favorite, follow, doesn't matter, just do it! :D**

Beast was nervously following Cy. He had finished positioning the twins on the road just as they had practiced and went over the different signals twice. The road was the only decent way to travel for carriages from Tamarean to Titania, or vice versa, and the five of them had it completely trapped.

Beast kept his ever increasing suspicion to himself. He needed to prove that he wasn't going to mess up again. Robin, behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently before letting go. Beast assumed that was his way of repeating what he had said earlier, but it didn't offer much comfort.

Flash dashed off down the road and returned almost as soon as he had left, exclaiming giddily, "It's almost here!"

Robin and Cy looked at Beast, and Beast said quietly, "Ready the slingshot, Speedy." The young boy nodded and stuck a decent sized rock into a slingshot he had made that morning. His brothers had told him not to waste an arrow on this; those were for when things got ugly.

Around the crest of the hill, a horse emerged, huffing and puffing, tired from having to climb so far and pull so much weight. The driver snapped a whip on the horses buttocks, and Beast growled lowly. He sympathized with the poor horse, empathized even.

"Easy Beast," Robin whispered. "Don't let personal conflictions mess this up."

Beast took a deep breath before nodding to Speedy, who drew back the slingshot and snapped it into one of the wheels of the carriage. It made the carriage bounce up and crash back down, snapping the wheel off and rendering the entire vehicle useless. The horse reared and Beast relished when he could set the poor animal free.

"Dammit," The driver cursed. "Everything is alright Your Highness, no need to come out! Minor mishaps with the wheel...I believe there is a spare on the bottom."

Beast waited for the driver to crawl under the cart before he motioned for the boys to swoop in. Beast bit the reins off the horse and watched as it ran off while Cy grabbed the trunk on the roof and Robin opened the door of the carriage, hiding behind it in wait.

A figure stepped out, but could hardly be seen due to the sack Robin flung over it. It began to squirm, and Flash hit the head firmly enough to knock it out but not hard enough to pose any real harm. Robin silently closed the door and the five boys and the sack slunk back into the forest from whence they came.

Beast stayed to watch the driver fix the wheel and then realize the horse was gone, only to begin making excuses to an empty carriage. That made Beast laugh to himself as he returned to camp with his brothers.

Cy set the body down against a tree with a grunt and sat down on the cliff that over looked the Tamarean kingdom. Beast sat next to him and watched the sun slowly dip behind the southern mountains, causing the sky to burn with the colors of fire and warmth.

"You did a good job today," Cy grinned, slapping him on the back. Beast winced, and he added, "I'm proud of you man."

"Thanks," Beast mumbled, and paused before asking, "Do you really think this prince guy will help?"

Cy hesitated and shrugged, ruffling his brother's hair. "Enough of the heavy. Let's have a little fun with princey while he's still sleeping."

Cy jumped up and crowded the bag, itching to open it, but Beast reminded him that it was Robin's capture and therefore his to do with as he pleased. Robin watched Cy wait eagerly and Beast stand at attention and sighed with a shake of his head, leaving the fire to join them.

"Beast, since this was the first mission you lead, it is only fitting that you claim the riches," Robin smiled.

"Really?" Beast grinned, surprising himself and his brothers.

"Well, that and since you worried for nothing," The two older brothers laughed.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, assholes."

"What're you going to do first? Starve him? Hang him over the cliff? Change into his worst nightmare?" Speedy and Flash asked, evil glints in their eyes.

"Didn't I tell you two to go to bed?!" Robin growled, shoving them towards their little hideout in the trees. They began to pout and Robin added a forceful, "Now!"

They scurried up the trees and could be heard grumbling to themselves. It was hard for Robin to be the older brother, but Beast and Cy always turned soft on them when they really wanted something, so Robin had stepped up to take place as the cold one.

He wasn't always cold, however. "Now, Beast, enjoy," Robin winked.

Beast grinned again and slowly undid the ropes tying the ends together, and in one quick motion, pulled the sack over the victim's head.

The three boys jumped back in surprise and stared at them, it...her.

Cy and Robin exchanged looks, and Cy groaned, saying, "Dammit! Did we get the information wrong?! How?! I'm going to kill that little snitch when I see him..." Cy stormed off towards the fire to cook some food to settle him down while Robin and Beast stared at the girl.

"I guess we made a mistake..." Robin sighed, rubbing his neck. "I should've listened to you Beast, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me...what do we say to her when she wakes up?"

"Well...we can't exactly return her..."

"Robin!"

"I know we don't harm or take the innocent, but damn Beast, we really screwed up! She looks like a dignitary, or at least a noble, and they won't just take her back without punishment, and that's something we can't afford right now!"

Beast looked at the girl, at her dark hair that shimmered against the firelight, done up behind her head, and at her pale skin and dark dress. She had a cape on, and he tucked it around her so she wouldn't be cold through the night. She was beyond beautiful, words couldn't describe how she looked with the moonlight shining on her like a spotlight.

"Is she still mine?" Beast asked quietly.

"...excuse me?"

"Is. She. Still. Mine?" Beast repeated slowly, meeting his brother's gaze.

Robin looked between the girl and him, and hesitated before saying, "I suppose..."

Beast beamed and nodded his thanks before picking the girl up and carrying her inside his tent. He set her down on his sleeping mat and pulled the blankets over her shoulders. She sighed in her sleep and brushed her fingers against his, sending sparks up his arm. He wanted to lay with her, hold her, breathe in her aroma of candles, protect her...

Beast didn't remember a time when he felt like he had meaning, or a time happier than this since before mom and dad and...but Beast felt so much looking at her, and inside himself, he knew that had to mean something, even if it was as trivial as a little crush. He wanted his life to have meaning again, and if she somehow gave that to him, he wasn't about to let it go anytime soon.

He took off his shirt and pants and laid down on the opposite side of the tent. He watched her until the light of the fire died, then he drifted into a pleasurable sleep with thoughts consumed by nothing but her.

Outside, Cy and Robin sat quietly in the darkness.

"Dignitary?"

"Noble I think," Robin muttered. "Probably was traveling for family."

"You don't think she'd be able to help us? We can't even use her?" Cy grumbled.

Robin shook his head. "Not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Robin glanced towards his younger brother's tent and said lowly, "Beast has become...attached."

Cy raised an eyebrow. "Attached? He's never even talked to a girl before! And he literally just saw her minutes ago!"

"Keep your voice down!" Robin hissed. "The way he looked at her...something's wrong. I've never seen him like this with anyone."

"So he thinks she's a babe, I thought she wasn't half bad myself."

Robin shook his head. "Maybe...I can't say for sure what it is, but I don't like it."

Cy shrugged, "Well, it'll be interesting to see how she reacts in the morning."

**Next chapter is where the party begins! Who's excited?!**

**Any comments, suggestions, hate, or anything of the sorts? Feel free to tell me, I'll still love you! :)**

**Till next time my pretties...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Guys I'm so glad you like this! I'm having a blast writing this!**

**Speaking of which, I had this chapter going in a completely different direction, but then I reread just before I was going to post it, and so I thought a different ending would shed a different light on the BBRae I am trying to portray...if that makes sense haha x)**

**Please enjoy, review, favorite, follow, whatever! :D**

Raven woke slowly, her head throbbing. She hoped that yesterday had been a nightmare, what of it she remembered, but knew that probably wasn't likely. It all seemed to go fuzzy after Gunther said they were having trouble with the carriage and she offered to help...

Raven shot her eyes open and sat up hastily. The world began to spin and she didn't recognize any shapes, but felt a soft hand on her arm and a warm cloth being pressed to her forehead.

"You can't sit up too quickly after a blow to the head, you'll hurt yourself," someone chuckled. A male chuckled. An unfamiliar male.

Raven leaped away from the soothing hand and warm cloth and backed into a wall, or rather what was supposed to be a wall. Her blurry vision cleared and she saw the tent enclosed around her. She was on the ground with a large mat and blankets over her. She pushed them off and brought her knees to her chest. Her first instinct was to use her abilities to fly, destroy, disappear, anything, but she was so weak and scared, she couldn't focus her mind long enough.

"Hey it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," The unfamiliar male spoke softly.

Raven met eyes with him, and his eyes were as green as Starfire's, though a deeper shade that paired so very nicely with his..._green skin_? And _hair_? Not to mention _pointy ears_, though that quite honestly wasn't even weird in comparison to everything else. Raven stared at the boy for a long time, observing his features, but not saying anything. She didn't know where she was or who she was with, and attempted to control herself for when the time was right, to do whatever it took to escape.

"My name is Beast," He held out his green hand, offering a toothy smile where his canine fangs were very blatantly showing. Raven could only stare at him; how could someone possibly be more freakish than her?

Raven didn't reply to his question, or shake his hand. His smile faltered slightly but he kept a cheery mood, "Are you hungry? You're a little late for breakfast, but I made sure to save you some. I have vegetables, which I eat because I'm a vegetarian but you can eat them too, but I have some eggs and meat if you're into that, which I don't judge so don't feel pressured to eat something you don't like."

He flashed his smile again, and from outside the tent, another, deeper male voice asked, "Is she awake?"

"Yea, but she won't talk to me," Beast said with a tone of sadness.

"Well maybe it's because you look like some monster out of a nightmare," Another, even deeper voice snickered.

Raven watched as Beast processed this information. A shadow of sadness and shame flashed over his face, a brief bit of guilt too, and he turned his head down to stare at his hands on his lap. Raven knew that look; it was a look she had seen in her reflection many times, when she had been labeled the monster out of a nightmare. That look...

"I don't think you're a monster," Raven said softly, but instantly regretted it. Why was she being nice to this stranger?! He and his buddies probably kidnapped her to rape her or play with her until they got bored and she was half dead. She had heard stories of girls who had disappeared with men or got taken and were never seen again.

Beast looked up at her, and her heart twinged at the beam he sprouted. "So she does have a voice! In your face Cy, she said she doesn't think I'm a monster!"

Two men slipped into the tent cautiously and looked around until their eyes came to rest on her. One was very tall and muscular with dark skin, what part of him was actually flesh; the rest of his body was covered in metal, and this was a significant two-thirds of him. It was probably very shiny and well taken care of once upon a time, but had been sporting rust in various spots of overuse. He was intimidating to look at, but his eyes were wary of her, as if she was the dangerous one here.

The other was very different. He was lean and muscled in certain areas, as well as decently tall. It was clear that he called the shots most of the time; he had an aura of superiority around him. His hair was black and he wore a mask disguising his eyes aside from his regular, peasant clothes. From the ridgid shoulders and hard down turned corners of his mouth, Raven knew he was even more so suspicious of her.

"This is Robin," Beast pointed to the masked one, "And Cy." He pointed to the metal man, before wrapping his arms around their shoulders. "They're my brothers."

Raven was about to laugh when she realized how odd her family must've looked, and instead offered no reaction. If they called themselves brothers, then by all means, they were brothers. But compared to the other two, Beast wasn't very mind-blowing, regardless of the green. He was lean and toned, but not muscular like the other two. He was shorter, but probably still as tall if not slightly taller than Raven. Her eyes wandered down his exposed torso before realizing that she probably looked like she had been checking him out and bit back a blush.

Robin coughed, "Do you have a name?"

Raven hesitated. _Should I give them my real name? Would they harm me if they knew I was lying? What if they didn't know I'm one of the princesses? Do they even know who the princesses are?_

She offered no response instead.

Beast sighed. "See guys, you're scaring her. Just please leave so I can talk to her?"

Cy shook his head, "No way B, we don't know who she is or what she's capable of."

"Capable of? Look at her, she's scared out of her mind!"

"It doesn't help she woke up in a strange place with a bunch of strangers," Robin murmured. "Beast, come outside to talk to us privately please."

Beast glanced back at Raven, his eyes apologetic, and followed his brothers out. Raven quickly got up and made sure she was unharmed and had everything she came with. Her trunk was in the tent also, and she went digging around for the dagger she had stashed just in case, and she was overjoyed when she found it. She tied the belt around her waist, hiding it under the belt already on her, and positioned the knife holster behind her back, scurrying back to her original spot.

The three came back in a little while later, and Beast slowly walked up to her, crouching down and cocking his head to the side. If Raven wasn't concerned as to his intentions, she would've thought the gesture...cute, almost.

"Can you please tell us something about you?" He asked quietly, a soft smile on his face. "If you don't, my brothers won't ever let you leave this tent, and I'd hate to be cooped up in something like this forever."

Raven glanced at Robin and Cy, her heart pounding. She didn't want to tell them anything, but if she ever hoped to gain her strength to run away, she had to gain their trust first.

"Raven," She said slowly.

Beast beamed and nodded. "Thank you, Raven." He glared at his brothers. "Happy now, assholes?"

They shook their heads and left. Beast rolled his eyes and muttered, "Brothers," before going about his own business in the tent. He attempted to gently probe more responses out of Raven, but she didn't feel like revealing anything else. She was simply relieved they were oblivious to her real identity.

Minutes passed before he turned his back to her to look through some clothing. She listened for anyone else outside, and hearing no one, silently crept up behind Beast. Taking the dagger out of the sheath, she held it in her shaky hand, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This had to be done.

"Hey which do you think looks-"

Beast's words were cut off from the dagger piercing his abdomen, making him choke on his tongue. His eyes went wide and he stared at her, shock and pain mingling into an emotion of hurt. She stared at the knife as she backed away, and he touched the knife, hissing in pain as he tried to pull it out and finally yelling when it was free of his body.

The two others came rushing in moments later and Raven knew she was screwed. She attempted to build up energy to fight and managed to muster just a little, and just a little was all she needed.

"What's wrong Beast?!" Robin asked, his fists ready to attack as he glared at Raven, with Cy behind him wielding a long sword with both hands.

Beast looked between his brothers and Raven and shook his head, covering up the knife wound with his hands and masking the pain with a slightly broken smile. "Guys calm down, I...stepped on a...pine cone."

Cy rolled his eyes and walked out, grumbling, "You're such a big baby."

Robin hesitantly shifted from badass to big brother and socked his shoulder before following Cy out. Beast watched until he was gone before crumbling to the floor, breathing heavily.

Raven stood in complete shock. "Why...why would you lie to them?"

Beast stared back at her, his eyes shifting in and out of consciousness. "Because I don't think you're a monster either."

That hit her in a place she didn't know of. It made her chest ache and forced her to kneel down next to him. She moved his hand but he quickly put them back. She looked at him and said quietly, "I can help," before moving his hands again. He restrained himself as she hovered her hands over his wound. She mumbled her incantation under her breath, making her hands glow white as well as his wound. He watched in awe as she slowly healed him, and it took every ounce of power she had stored up. When she finished, she went limp, and he caught her in his arms.

"See?" Beast smiled softly. "You aren't a monster."

Raven looked away in shame. "That doesn't mean you should stand up for me."

"But now at least I can trust you to mend the damage you inflict." She looked at him oddly; he didn't seriously say he could trust her because she stabbed him? Beast laughed at her expression and picked her up. She attempted to argue, but was too drained to really do anything. "Can I interest you in breakfast now, Raven? Assuming you won't run a fork through my neck."

Raven looked at Beast. He was so strange, so trusting, so warm, so everything Raven wasn't, and honestly, that scared her a little. Because if this was the type of person that kidnapped people, what did that make her?

_I am the monster._

**As I said, I took this in a completely different direction, but I'm really starting to like it. It'll work into later concepts a lot better.**

**Thanks for reading, next one coming soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh my gosh! You guys really do like this? I know it's moving fast, but I'm not one to write a bunch of details; I love reading those types of stories, don't get me wrong, but I'm not very good at writing them...**

**So this was actually a hard chapter to write, since I had to rewrite it in a whole new light thanks to the changes I made with last chapter. It was going to be fluffy and cute, but I decided to take it to a different stand point, and I'm actually quite proud of the end product.**

**I hope you guys like it as much as I do! Review, follow, favorite, but most of all, enjoy!**

Beast ate with Raven, and it took all of his strength not to just stare at her the entire time. She was very graceful, as if every move she made had meaning, and she didn't sit hunched like his brothers did, but straight and high as if she really were someone important. But the slight slump in her shoulders suggested something he couldn't pinpoint.

_Raven._ There had never been a more suiting name for anyone. The name begged for more, as if it suggested she already was a mystery just waiting to be solved. She definitely was hard for him to understand, but not as hard as she would like to think.

_"I don't think you're a monster."_

No one, no one, had ever told Beast that they didn't think he was a monster. Some people had never called him that to begin with, but having someone tell him that he wasn't it altogether was...it was good. He knew in her tone that she understood, that she had known what it felt like to be called such names, and that's why she took pity on him, the stranger, the walking freak show.

And in return, he had taken pity on her.

His abdomen hurt, there was no doubt about that, but she could've let him bleed out and left. She could've watched him die and escape back to her own life, but she stayed and _healed_ him. Not only that, but it took what little energy she had that she probably could've used in helping her escape.

So she had powers, and she was cautious about them. They could be good or bad, so she used them sparingly. But to watch her eyes, her gorgeous, shimmering, violet eyes glow with white was just so-

"Can you please stop staring at me?" Raven asked quietly.

Beast blinked and realized that in his day dreaming, he had kept his gaze locked on her. A blush spread across his cheeks and he mumbled a quick, "Sorry," before downing the rest of his food and looking anywhere else but her, no matter how hard or how depressing it was, because God, did he want to look at her.

They sat for a moment not doing anything or making any noise and Beast asked, "Did you want to change out of your dress?" She gave him a piercing look, flames dancing in her eyes, and he realized how that must've sounded. "Oh no, jeez, not like that! I mean...you can change alone, if you want."

Raven didn't say anything, but just looked away, and Beast deflated. Why didn't she want to talk to him? He got that she was scared and unaware as to their intentions, but all he wanted to do was make her comfortable.

He opened his mouth to say something else when Robin yelled from the cliff, "Beast, Cy, get over here now!"

Beast jumped up and glanced at Raven. She understood, and got up to follow him. They stood beside his brothers and looked down on the kingdom of Tamarea, where a swarm of grey was continually growing around the castle grounds.

"What is that?" Cy asked in awe.

Robin didn't even turn his head to reply, "Soldiers. And a lot of them, gathering around the Tamarean castle."

There was a rustle of leaves and a little boy said behind them, "And in Titania too!"

Beast saw out of the corner of his eye Raven turn to see a boy of no more than 8 staring at her, and another one peeking out from behind him. Her expression was conflicted; he knew she didn't understand why a bunch of kidnappers would also have two little boys with them.

"What happened to the prince?" Flash asked, staring at Raven.

"Is that a _guy_? Tamareans are so _weird_." Speedy chuckled.

Beast wrinkled his nose, about to kick the living crap out of his brothers, when Robin said curtly, "Speedy, Flash, tell me again what you saw at Titania," and crouched down to be eye level with the two.

"All these soldiers were getting together around the Titanian castle and more are coming from other kingdoms too!"

Beast furrowed his eyebrows, and his older brothers glanced at him before resting their eyes on Raven, whose eyes were practically mortified. She met Beast's gaze, and his heart skipped a beat hoping she might say something to him, but she instead turned away from the scene and walked back towards his tent.

Robin walked up next to him and murmured, "She has something to do with this."

Beast nudged his brother, "How could she? She's just a noble, right?"

"I don't know B...it seems suspicious that the soldiers would gather like this the day after she disappeared." Cy shook his head. "Maybe she isn't who we thought she was..."

"Do you know if she has powers?" Robin asked, staring hard at Beast.

Beast blinked. "Powers?"

"Abilities, like you and Speedy and Flash. Has she shown any sign of those?"

He chewed his lip and glanced at the tent. He couldn't lie to his brothers, not again. "She...she can heal."

Cy wrinkled his nose, "Well that isn't that big of a deal...definitely not something that could send out a distress call or anything like that."

Robin stared out at the troops gathering and crossed his arms, meaning he was thinking intently and seriously. The other brothers waited for a few minutes before he finally said, "This could work in our favor."

"How?!" Cy asked increduously. "If those guys find out we stole someone, they'll be on us like stink on Beast."

Beast rolled his eyes, ignoring the comment, and added, "We can't just use her Robin."

"We may just have to," He turned around, his eyes veering to the tent. "Go get her."

Beast's eyes narrowed, "I won't let you hurt her."

"Was it a question, _Garfield_?"

"No it wasn't, it was a command, and you know what you told us after mom and dad? You told us you'd _never_ command us, because commanding was like being a dictator, and that was who they were trying to steer you away from!"

"Well now they'll never be able to because of you!" Robin yelled, shoving his brother.

"Robin!" Cy hissed.

"Don't treat him like a victim; this is all on you Garfield!" Robin jumped on his brother and began punching him relentlessly. "If you hadn't been stupid enough to listen to those bastards, we wouldn't be out in the damn woods with barely anyone from our land! We would've been eating lunch with our parents and friends, but we'll never be able to again thanks to you!"

Beast let his brother hit him and let the words sink in with each blow. Cy tried to yank Robin off him, but he was in a frenzy. Robin had never expressed anything about that day, and now Beast got to see why.

Beast stood shakily, and refused any help from Cy; instead he limped off to his tent, only to find it empty. He panicked for a moment, but just flopped down on his bed, tired and worn and crying. His face was throbbing, but it didn't even amount to the stabs in his heart, remembering that day, remembering the pain, the screams, the blood...

He heard Speedy go tell Robin that Raven had left, and he closed his eyes.

_Please...don't let me wake up._

**So yea, a bit darker than originally intended, but this is good! It shows more about the backstory of the boys (which I will go into detail later, I pinky promise :))**

**Any suggestions? I could really use them!**

**Otherwise, till tomorrow!**


	7. Chapter 7

**As per suggestion via **_ShadowTiger_**, I have written a chapter in Starfire's POV!**

**Please be warned...I love Starfire to death, she's an amazing character, but the way she talks is just really impossible to imitate...so I apologize if it sounds cheesy and stupid but I tried, I really did! Points for trying?**

**Anyway...thank you so so soooo much for reviewing! I may not mention everyone who does, but I read all of them and they mean so so much to me that this is receiving well and it's just really great encouragement to write more! :D**

**As always, enjoy, review, follow, favorite, and all that jazz :)**

Starfire passed the palace hall outside her sisters room. She hadn't been in it since her sister left, too sad and too easily nostalgic to dare go in there. But ever since they had received word from the Titanian king that Raven hadn't ever arrived in Titania...

_"Do you think Raven's going to like it there?" Terra asked quietly._

_Starfire looked at her little sister, who was staring longingly out the window. She stood and walked over to her, taking her in her arms and began to stroke Terra's hair, saying softly, "Of course sister Terra. Raven is very beautiful and easy to love-" Terra gave her a look that made her back track. "...she may be...difficult at times, but if we can accept her into our home, there is no reason why the Titanians cannot accept her into there's."_

_The younger girl sighed and hugged Starfire tightly. Both sat in silence, remembering when their older sister had been there; though her presence was small, it was just the simple fact of knowing that she was there that made everything alright._

_"Something is wrong," Red Star burst into the room._

_Starfire let go of Terra and stood. "How do you know, brother?"_

_"Father was just called from a meeting with dignitaries from the South, and you know how he hates to be interrupted during meetings with dignitaries, and I heard the guard say to him that it was urgent," Red Star shook his head. "I have a very bad feeling about this."_

_"Is it Raven?" Terra asked, her eyes wide and frightened._

_Starfire knelt down to her sister, "I'm sure not. Return to your chambers and I shall speak with you later." She hesitated before leaving, and then Starfire turned to her brother. "Let's go find father."_

She had never expected it to be something this bad. Maybe Raven had changed her mind or maybe it was just one of the other siblings, but Starfire could've never foreseen her sister being kidnapped. Raven was too strong, too smart to be taken, unless...Starfire stopped her train of thought. She refused to believe Raven was gone; she would've felt if Raven was gone.

Starfire paused and looked at Raven's door. She hesitantly opened it and stepped inside, closing it quickly behind her, and she almost wished she hadn't gone into the room at all. It was utter destruction, shattered windows, torn up bed, shredded cloth that Starfire assumed had once been clothing spread about the room. And as she watched, everything was blowing and twirling and forming a mass of debris that could severely harm anyone inside.

Starfire looked around the room in a panic, and, seeing the item she came in looking for, grabbed it from her only intact piece of furniture, her bedside table, and darted out of the room. Behind her, she heard the whirling and whoosing sounds of a twister die down until only silence remained.

Starfire looked down at the object in her hands, astonished Raven had forgotten it.

_Her mirror..._

Raven had once explained how intertwined Raven and her mirror were, how it was her only outlet for her emotions and how she required it to seek solace. Apart from her mirror, it would reflect what she was feeling into the atmosphere around it, and from what it was reflecting right now, Starfire was scared as to what her sister was enduring.

From down the hall, Starfire heard weeping, and rushed to its source. She turned the corner to find Red Star consoling Terra, who, seeing her older sister enter the room, ran and gripped her tightly around her middle.

"What is the matter?" Starfire asked worriedly.

"R-Raven," Terra sniffed, looking up at her with red eyes. "T-They...sh-sh-she..."

As Terra burst into another round of tears, Red Star walked over, a mask over his face with raging emotions instilled in his eyes and balled up fists at his sides.

"Brother?" Starfire asked slowly.

He didn't meet her gaze. "Father says the troops have to wait until tomorrow to go out...and they're heading straight for Titania." Seeing Starfire's confused expression, he continued, "Father's council has convinced him that the royals of Titania had always planned to capture Raven and hold her over his head to give up his land for them. They don't even think she could've been taken by that damn group of robbers, which I guarantee you it is." He grinded his teeth together. "They won't even send out a search party! They just assume..." He wiped his eyes, getting more frustrated by the second. "What if she's already..."

Starfire reached out and gathered her younger brother into her embrace. She was the eldest child now; she had to watch out for and guide the two remaining children. They were frightened and unsettled; their father had always told them Tamarea was a land of peace, and that talking lead to more than just throwing away lives. But his eyes were clouded now, and it was her turn to make the right move.

"Listen as close as you can," Starfire began, crouching down and whispering lowly, looking around to make sure no one was watching. "With the whole of my heart I believe that sister Raven is unharmed. If you do not divulge my plan to anyone, I shall go out and search with my own party for her and not return until I have found her." She smiled and hugged them tightly. "But promise father will hear none of this."

They nodded, and Starfire went to her room, grabbing necessary items for the journey. The days were getting longer and warmer, so Starfire decided not to bring a cloak, and went to the top of the tower, flying off into the clouds to hide herself from potential archers or anyone that just happened to be looking at the sky.

Her guide was the mirror, but she could've done just fine without it.

_I am coming Raven._

**So what do you think? Should I put in more Starfire? Should I write from a different character's perspective? Any suggestions really do help and tell me what you guys want, I promise I won't disregard them (unless they interfere with something I know I'm not going to change...haha sorry...)**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Follow and favorite too!**

**Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you...**


	8. Chapter 8

**I am so sorry for posting so late! I got caught up with a lot of stuff and I was struggling to write this chapter; I actually ended up rewriting it a bunch of times with a bunch of different scenarios, but I know you all don't care so I'll just move on...**

**OHMYGOD! 29 reviews?! I'm literally so astounded, I wanted to make this chapter really long just for you awesome readers, but that didn't work out because it probably would've taken me another day or two and I already felt bad.**

**Just to clarify a few things, I know I said this is a BBRae RobStar fic, but the RobStar is kind of just an addition, BBRae is definitely the main focus...sorry for the confusion...**

**There is some cutesy cheesiness in this chapter, and I'll make the next one have some of that RobStar for you guys!**

**I'm sorry again, please don't have me forever!**

Raven waited until she could hear the boys arguing to leave. She quickly exited the tent and ran the opposite way of the boys, not realizing she was on a steep mountain. She tried to use her powers, but she could only levitate, despite having just had some food. She chose to walk down rocks and through wooded areas, tearing her favorite dress and scraping her body, but she just wanted to get home.

It took a while, but she reached a sort of road, and began to follow it.

All the while, she couldn't seem to focus on what she was doing, but rather...that complete _idiot._ And what he had said to her this morning, from the moment she woke up, with his hands warm against her freezing body, to when all he tried to do was make her laugh...She could hear a frail little voice in the back of her mind, telling her that she was making a mistake, that she needed to go back.

_Go back to what? My kidnappers?_

_No,_ the little voice answered. _Back to him._

Raven frowned. _I don't need him, shut up._

_Do you think you'll just be taken back by your family?_

That made her pause in her tracks. _Of course...why wouldn't they take me back?_

_Because you're supposed to be married off by now. Gone, no longer there, removed from their lives._ The voice slowly added,_ If you go back, they may not be able to help you. But Beast can._

"Shut up!" Raven snapped, and then realized she had been arguing with herself. She shook her head and surged forward, though her footfalls fell a little l uncertain the lower she walked down the mountain.

She heard the snap of a twig behind her, and whipped around to see nothing. Unnerved, she began to pick up her pace, and the sound of footsteps moving quicker echoed in her ears. She started to run, and glanced back to see shadows moving in the trees, fear instilling in her. She picked up a rock with her darkness and threw it at the shadows, yelling at them to leave her alone.

"Raven!"

She stumbled a little but kept going.

"Raven please, stop!"

Raven kept going but noticed the two younger brothers had run in front of her and were now blocking her path. She slowed down to a walk and finally stepped behind a tree to reply; it allowed her to catch her breath as well.

"What do you want from me?"

"Please, Raven, you have to come back," Cy panted, keeping his distance. He had probably just witnessed more of her gifts and she wasn't very comfortable with that notion, but there was nothing she could do at that point.

"You can't expect me to go back!" She hissed, her anger growing. "Why would I go back to the men who captured me and held me hostage?!"

He sighed, "I know we got off to a bad start, but this isn't about you anymore."

She furrowed her eyebrows and turned to look at him. "Who then?"

Cy's eyes made him look beyond exhausted, but fear tinged them and that's what kept him going. He took a step towards her, forcing her to take a step back, and he got the hint fairly quickly, but his eyes met hers pleading desperately.

"It's Beast..."

Raven stared at him, and asked flatly, "What about him?"

"I'll tell her," Robin stepped out of the shadows behind Cy and stared hard at Raven. He didn't say anything at first, but the firmness in his jaw and his abnormally straight posture suggested he was on edge.

"Well?" She almost growled, then cursed at herself for sounding like she cared. Because she most certainly _didn't_ care what happened to that green freak.

Robin crossed his arms and averted his gaze. "I...got upset at him and, regrettably, beat the living shit out of him."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You don't 'beat the living shit' out of someone without a good enough reason, especially if it's your own brother."

"There's never a good enough reason to beat the living shit out of your own brother," Cy muttered quietly, casting resentful looks at Robin, who just ignored him altogether. "But Beast told us you could heal, and we...I don't know if he'll make it without some good healing."

Raven winced and looked away. She couldn't just go back with them; she'd be a prisoner again, forced to stay within the confines of their camp until God knows when. But...she didn't know if she'd be able to live with the fact that she let Beast die. He hadn't done anything bad to her, just showed her kindness and trust. Not to mention the stabbing he covered up for her. And she didn't even know for sure if her family would take her back if she returned to the castle, so then she would've given up a life for nothing.

"Will you let me go after I finish healing him?" Raven asked quietly. Cy and Robin gave each other the same look, doubt mixed with regret, and she didn't need them to explain it to her. No matter how much she tried to convince them, they wouldn't believe that she wouldn't tell anyone.

She sighed and nodded, and the two gently grabbed her arms and lead her back to the camp with the twins following closely behind them. They pushed her inside Beast's tent and stood outside, not wanting to see what had become of their brother. To speak truthfully, Raven didn't either, and the sight that she was met with wasn't very pretty.

Beast was unconscious and breathing heavily, very heavily, as if he were just barely not suffocating. His face was swollen and bruised, and he twitched every so often with the occasional groan of pain. She knelt beside him and felt her own heart ache to see him like this. She removed his shirt to give him some air and noticed that the knife wound she graced him with had reopened, and started her healing there.

Closing her eyes and focusing her energy, she pressed her warm healing hands on his wound, and felt a couple broken bones and torn muscles repair themselves carefully. Normally she could have this done in a minute, but that would leave the patient to be sore and uncomfortable for quite some time, and Beast deserved to rest peacefully. She slowly worked her way up his chest, wincing every time his breath drew in sharply or he growled in pain. His face she took extra time on, reducing the swelling and getting rid of the bruises altogether. When he let a soft sigh escape, she knew her work was done.

Raven watched Beast's breathing return to normal and smiled to herself.

She had made the right choice.

Beast woke up slowly, his vision blurred and his body aching. A warm, damp cloth was being pressed to his forehead and he sighed; he had woken up despite his pleas, but so far, it felt really good. He closed his eyes and let himself be treated. No one had ever bothered to do so before.

"Good afternoon sleepy head," A familiar voice murmured.

Beast blinked and turned to look at her. "Rae? I...I thought you left."

Raven began to say something but stopped herself. "...what did you call me?"

He blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, "Rae...I thought it was a cute nickname...it's what I called you in my head."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You thought about me?"

"You're all I think about," He mused, noting the way she looked away shyly and the pink that tinted her cheeks. He smiled and asked, "Do you like it?"

She thought about it and shrugged. "I guess it could be worse." There was a pause between them and she said, "I heard you took quite the beating yesterday and I...I couldn't just let you die." She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of left."

Beast furrowed his eyebrows. "You think Robin beat me...because of you?"

Raven flinched and gripped her hands tightly together. Beast shook his head and sat up, wincing at the stab of pain from his knife wound.

"You have to lie still or the healing won't finish properly," Raven ordered, gently grabbing his shoulders and forcing him back down.

Beast obliged and took her hands. He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Rae, you can't take what happened to me on your shoulders. I don't blame you for leaving; none of us do. Robin..." He sighed and glanced outside the tent. "Robin and I have had our differences. It's part of being brothers I guess."

"You don't almost kill your brother because of 'differences'," Raven spat.

He chuckled, "No you don't."

"So what was it really?"

Beast frowned and let go of her hands, looking away from her. "It's...a long story."

Raven nodded, and he was surprised she didn't push the issue. But looking at the familiar glaze in her eyes, he saw that she had her own stories that she didn't care to tell. Stories that made her the monster, and not the hero.

"I'll leave you to get some rest," She mumbled and stood to go, but Beast grabbed her hand.

"Don't go," He pleaded, and she stared at his hand holding hers. "I...I know this sounds crazy, but I...I want you stay. I _need_ you to stay." He suddenly became flustered and looked away, his face burning with embarrassment.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked quietly.

Beast sighed; he had to make her understand. "Before you came, I was...I was in really bad shape. To make the long story short, I did some awful things that I never should've done. I take all the blame for my actions, and because of what I did, my brothers and I have to live like this." He shook his head and bit his lip, holding back a rush of emotions. "But...seeing you for the first time, it brought back light in me, woke me up to have some sort of purpose when I thought I never would again." He looked at her confused expression and added, "My purpose is you, Rae. To protect you, care for you, anything you need at all. It sounds cheesy, but without you, I won't have a reason to exist."

Raven's eyes widened slightly and she hesitated before kneeling next to him. Beast hated how desperate and clingy he sounded, but it wasn't even close to what he really felt. He sat up, and she opened her mouth to argue, but he grinned, stopping her and making her blush.

"That's a lot of responsibility for knowing me for just a day," Raven said slowly.

Beast nodded. "I know. And I'm not expecting you to reciprocate, but I think you should know how I feel," He took one of her hands in both of his. "In case you were curious."

Raven stared at his hands and slowly dragged her eyes up to meet his. Beast felt his heart stall, waiting to hear her response, whether it would make or break him. She parted her lips, and he could've sworn she was leaning in. His heart began to race in his chest and he reached up to cup her face, drawing her in closer. Her sweet breath splashed over his face and they were only seconds away from being bound together.

"Sister Raven? Are you here?" A foreign voice called outside the tent.

Raven stopped and pulled herself away from Beast, standing quickly before running out. Beast's ears lowered and he whined slightly; he hadn't imagined it all, right? Did that mean she was willing to stay with him?

He could've sworn he had heard her say under her breath, "_I need you too_."

**What terrible writing...I'm sorry you guys have to read this garbage...**

**I promise I'll try to post ASAP!**

**If you happen to be bored or something, I'm also posting a new story called "Seeing Double"...feel free to check it out, it has more BBRae :D**

**Thank you guys so much, never stop reviewing, and Happy Halloween!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, posting relatively on schedule! Thanks so so soooo much for the reviews, I love each and every last one of them!**

**I'm sorry if you aren't digging the RobStar/Robin or Starfire POVs, but this is another one in them :P It's not necessarily a filler, it does have some important information kind of, but next chapter is definitely BBRae all the way. I finally figured out how I want the rest of this story to go and I'm super excited guys! **

**Hopefully you'll keep reviewing and loving it like I do. Otherwise, enjoy!**

Robin didn't understand why Raven had been so willing to come back to the camp with them. Maybe she couldn't live with the fact that Beast would've died without her, but he felt it was something much more than that, and that made him nervous. If Beast and Raven were becoming attached to each other, it was going to interfere with their plans somewhere along the road.

He heard a voice call out somewhere beyond the camp that was quickly approaching and leaped up. Cy looked at him, confused, until the musical voice reached him as well. They both looked at each other before running away from their cliff and towards the tents, where they saw Raven dashing out of Beast's with a sort of dazed look on her face.

"Please tell me you guys hear her too?" She asked, sounding out of breath.

Cy nodded, "Do you know who it is?"

Raven turned towards the woods as a figure approached out of the darkness and said slowly, "It's...my sister."

Robin followed her gaze to see a tall young woman walk out of the woods. Her hair was like fire in the wind, her skin so tan and smooth. She wore a lilac two piece dress with silver accessories, but what mostly caught his eye was hers. They were green, a soft green, surrounded by light green. It was captivating, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Raven?" She asked warily, rushing forward to embrace her sister. "Oh Raven, I thought you dead! We all thought you dead!" She sobbed quietly into Raven's shoulder, who held her comfortingly and looked on the verge of tears herself.

"How did you know I wasn't?" Raven asked quietly, taking a step back.

The sister looked down into her hands, where an object was obstructed from Robin's view as it passed from the sister's hands to Raven's. "It lead myself to you, sister Raven." She finally seemed to notice that the two of them weren't the only ones in the woods and jumped in front of Raven, shouting, "Back away from the sister who is mine!"

"Starfire, it's fine," Raven said slowly, sending an apologetic glance at the brothers.

"Fine? What is fine? These are not the _thieves_," Robin winced at her choice of harsh words, "that stole you from your carriage?"

"Well..."

Starfire - _such an appropriate name for such a woman,_ Robin thought - picked up Raven and examined her. "Who is the one that took my dear sister?" Robin stepped forward slowly, and her beautiful eyes narrowed to glare at him. "Remove thy mask, common thief, so that I may know your face should you dare cross my path again."

"Robin never takes off his mask," Speedy said, walking up behind Robin.

"Why do you talk funny?" Flash asked, speeding around her and back to his twin.

She frowned, clearly offended. "I am not the one who speaks in a humorous voice."

"You said Raven is your sister?" Cy asked, glancing between the two. "How come you two look nothing alike?"

The girl wrinkled her nose and said loudly, "We do not have to be of blood relations to be sisters!"

"I didn't mean to insult-"

"The only insult is those who think to take an innocent girl for no reason! I demand you explain at once or...or...or the wrath of Tamarea will rain upon you with the blood of victory!"

The boys looked at each other and Robin took another step forward, forcing Starfire to push Raven back a step. He said slowly, "Look, this has all been a big misunderstanding. Yes, we kidnapped Raven, but she wasn't the one we meant to take and we meant her no harm."

"You do not get to address sister as Raven, for that is what sisters do. You must use her full title." She said, turning up her nose to glare down at them.

"Full title?" Cy blinked. "She said her name was just Raven."

"It is just Raven," Raven warned, staring at her sister hard. "Starfire, may I-"

"She did not share who she is completely?" Starfire interrupted.

"Star, there was a _reason_-"

"Why, who is she?" Speedy asked excitedly.

Raven was practically on her knees now, "Star, please, I-"

"She is Princess Raven of Tamarea, and I am her sister, Princess Starfire of Tamarea," She spoke proudly, knocking all the guys off their feet and leaving them in utter disbelief.

Cy was the first to draw out, "_Princess_?"

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered, "Awesome."

"Wait...if she's a princess and you're her sister..." Flash's eyes widened.

"Legend says the richest jewels in Tamarea are its beautiful princess." Robin mused, staring at the two in a whole different light.

Starfire turned red, though with rage or embarrassment, he wasn't sure. "Raven and I are not stones and I do not appreciate being called one!"

"That's not what he meant," Raven sighed. "Star, can we just please sit down and talk about this?"

Starfire glanced back at her sister as if she had forgotten she was there and nodded slowly, following her who followed the boys back to their fire, where the boys and Raven sat down on the ground. She wrinkled her nose and reluctantly sat next to her sister, across the fire from Robin, who couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

_She talks so strangely, but I never want her to stop talking...and she's like a piece of art that I could never grow tired of staring at...Is this was Beast felt like when he first saw Raven?_

"How is Beast?" Cy asked as if reading his brother's thoughts.

Raven looked into the fire and answered back plainly, "He's healed. He'll survive." She look up to stare hard at Robin, and he grew uncomfortable under the force of her gaze. _Beast wouldn't tell her why I got violent...right?_

"I am in confusion, sister Raven; why would you heal your captors?" Starfire asked.

Raven didn't look at her sister as she murmured something that Robin couldn't hear, which bugged him to no end, but it seemed to answer Starfire's question. Raven then took it upon herself to introduce the brothers, ending on Robin, and he swore that she held his gaze a little longer than she had for the other brothers.

"Why do you not remove your mask?" Starfire questioned.

Robin shifted uncomfortably and Cy took it upon himself to respond, "The more important question we should be asking is why are you here?"

She looked down solemnly and said slowly, "Tamarea and Titania are preparing to do the battle with one another."

Raven shot up, exclaiming, "What?! Why?!"

Starfire looked at her sister sadly, almost with pity, and answered, "You, sister Raven."

Starfire was very uncomfortable in the presence of so many men. She had been with her father and brothers before, but she knew them and understood them; these men were...so foreign. They had cold expressions that were hard to read and very looming forms that put her on edge. She didn't understand how her sister could appear almost relaxed around them.

_What have they done to you sister Raven?_

The one with the mask upset her the most. She didn't like someone who hid himself, especially from family and friends. And though she couldn't be certain, she swore she could feel his eyes never leaving her. Practically _devouring_ the sight of her, and it made her rather uncomfortable. Growing up in the shadow of Blackfire, Starfire had never really been a "jewel of Tamarea"; it was always her older sister who relished in the love and attention. And when she went away, it was her other older sisters, and then it was Raven, though Raven never took advantage of the beauty she possessed, instead telling Starfire how much more beautiful she was.

Starfire never really believed her.

"What do you mean me?" Raven asked worriedly, though Starfire could tell she had already been suspicious; she must've seen the soldiers gathering around Tamarea and flooding in from their many allies.

She saw the panic and fear flash through her eyes and attempted to sit her down to keep her calm. "Father received word from Titania that you had never reached their kingdom and that they wished to do the battle. He thought that they were not speaking truth and agreed."

Raven gripped her face tightly and stared into the fire. Robin sat up and asked, "Wait so...they're going to fight?"

"Sadly," Starfire murmured, wiping her teary eyes. She hated fighting and violence.

Raven stood slowly. "Maybe...maybe I can go talk to father. Maybe he will see that I'm not dead and we can sort this out like civilized kingdoms."

"That won't work," An unfamiliar voice said, and out of the shadows of the lowering sun stepped a boy with a green complexion that almost made Starfire gasp out loud.

Raven stared at him and asked quietly, "Why not?"

He looked at Raven sadly and replied, "The Titanian's won't stop until they get what they want, even if they have to take it by force."

**Sorry again for the BBRae fans, I know I'd be upset too, next chapter for sure will be a cute one, I pinky promise!**

**Also we'll get to learn a little more about this "long story" of what the brothers are planning in the first place and why...hehehe.**

**Review, make suggestions, tell me you hate it with a burning passion, anything! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys...thanks for the reviews, they really light up my day, I read every single one :)**

**So I had this chapter start to go one way and then I was like "What if I did something else instead?" and I tried it and I went with it and I really liked it, but it isn't cute BBRae stuff...I mean a little is, but not as cute as I promised last chapter, sorry haha DON'T HATE ME!**

**We're getting into the thick of it guys...eeeeee!**

**Enjoy, review, do your thang!**

_"The Titanian's won't stop until they get what they want."_

The words were like a death sentence in Raven's mind. She couldn't believe that she had no other option but to go and marry the...the _barbarians_ that were about to destroy her kingdom, her family, her home...But she had been about to do that anyway, a couple days ago, right? What is so different from then and now? Raven had a duty that she had taken upon herself, and that duty was hers and hers alone to fulfill.

For once, she could do the right thing.

"Raven?" Starfire asked cautiously, lightly touching her arm.

Raven took a step back and her eyes danced from one person to the next; all of them were staring at her, wondering, waiting. Her hands were shaking slightly, a dark aura beginning to form, and she hid them behind her back, shaking her head vigorously in an attempt to rid herself of the fear she held deep down.

"I have to go Star," She said quietly, not meeting her sister's gaze.

Starfire stood. "Where?"

"To Titania...to finish what I was sent to do," Raven tried not to choke on her words but instead turned to run. "Go home, Star; tell father there won't be a war, and...tell him I'm so sorry."

Raven began to run, and everyone behind her shouted something after her, but she didn't care. It was getting darker by the minute, and she had to at least find the pathway through the woods to make it down into Titania by morning to stop this pointless fighting.

She heard footsteps behind her and shot back some dark energy, yelling, "Just go away! I have to do this Star, it's the only way."

The footsteps merely got closer until Raven was tackled into the ground. She wrestled to get free, but something held her down, and turning over, she saw that she was staring into the eyes of a green wolf, panting and staring back at her. For a moment she was in awe; was this why Beast was named so? If it weren't for the obvious green coloring, she would've assumed it was any other wolf, it was so life like and...so animal...

"Let me go Beast," Raven groaned, still trying to wiggle free from him. The wolf cocked its head, such a Beast thing to do, and she watched him morph back into himself, the hair receding, the ears lowering, the barred fangs creeping back to just little teeth, but he was still panting hard. "You idiot, you're still trying to heal! Why would you chase me?!"

"Because...I can't let you leave...you're my prisoner, remember?" He grinned. Raven narrowed her eyes and tried to gently knee his abdominal but he dodged easily. "You won't get away without hurting me, Rae, so there's no use trying."

She sighed, and then fully took in their positioning: him on top of her, his hips pushing on her own, his hands pinning hers above her head. It was a very vulnerable position, and normally it would've made her very uncomfortable, but with Beast...it just made her blush.

_Thank God it's dark._ "Do you mind getting off me?"

"I think I'm actually pretty comfortable, thanks," He chuckled.

"Beast..."

"I'm not going to let you run away again Rae," He replied sternly.

She looked away. "This is the only way to stop them from killing my people."

"By doing what? Establishing a peace offering?"

Raven glanced back at Beast and realized he didn't know why she was originally sent to Titania. Her heart ached at the thought of telling him, but he wouldn't understand unless she did, so she said flatly, "By giving the prince my hand."

Beast blinked and weakened his grasp on her, and she took the opportunity to escape from his grip, but didn't run. His eyes were still trained on the spot where she was, confusion, pain, anger, so many emotions running through them that she wanted to take it back as soon as she sent it.

"But..." His ears lowered as he spoke and Raven refused to even look at him. "Was that why you were going there in the first place?" Raven nodded solemnly. There was a pause before he jumped up, yelling, "You can't go! T-There has to be another way!"

"Beast there _is_ no other way."

"You can't just give up!"

Raven frowned and stood also. "This isn't me giving up, this is me _growing_ up and _accepting_ the responsibility I have as a princess of Tamarea!"

"That's such bullshit Rae," Beast growled, grabbing her shoulders. "This isn't how it's supposed to be!"

Raven's eyes narrowed. "How is it 'supposed to be', Beast?"

His grip on her loosened and his hard eyes went soft. "Well I...I thought..." A blush tinted his cheeks. "I thought you and I might..."

Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "You...you thought we'd...get together?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it's a little far fetched and crazy for only knowing each other as long as we have, but we could make it work." He smiled and stepped towards her, taking her hands. "Think about it Rae: you could forget Tamarea and Titania and just stay with me and be happy. You won't have to worry about anything," He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, his hand lingering on her cheek.

Raven looked up into his pleading, desperate eyes, and felt his warm breath splash over her face. His hand was cupping her cheek now, his thumb caressing her softly, and she was lost in the green forests of his eyes. His lips were lingering just above hers, and she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, pull him down to meet her and seal the promise he made to her...

"I...I..." Raven hesitated and pushed against his chest, shaking her head. "I can't Beast."

"Rae, don't do this..." Beast pleaded, taking her into his arms again.

"Beast, let me go. I have to do this! Don't you see?" She looked up into his eyes and knew she had to be the cold and bitter and emotionless monster she was so long ago, or she'd never get him to let go. "Beast even if I wanted to, I can't. I have a responsibility, not that I would expect you to understand what that means."

He stopped and looked down at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We can't all live the high life," She stated sourly.

Anger flashed across his eyes, and he said lowly, "You think I chose this life?"

"You don't seem too bad off," She replied. "Besides, it wouldn't work between us."

"And why's that?"

"Because," Raven took a deep breath and spat, "It'd be a one-sided relationship."

The anger in his eyes dissipated, and was just as quickly replaced with pain, so, so much pain. He nodded and stood up straight, attempting to mask it, and stated, "Have fun with your prince Raven. I'm sure you two deserve each other."

Beast morphed into the wolf again and snarled before running off, not towards camp, but somewhere else in the distance. She watched him go and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands and sobbing relentlessly. She felt the world around her shroud itself in her dark energy, heard thing be tossed this way and that, but she couldn't care less.

A ways away, a wolf could be heard howling at the crescent moon.

**AAAAHHHH I really liked how this ended but I'm sure you guys don't! Haha...**

**Review and tell me how pissed you are, or what you want to see! I have so many other scenes written out that probably won't even make it into the story...maybe I'll just post them at the end... ;)**

**Tell me your thoughts, suggestions, anything! And always, till next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry this took a bit for me to write, but I'm really proud of this chapter! It reveals both the backstory of Raven and of the boys, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!**

*****PLEASE READ THE ENDING NOTE, I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC I NEED TO DISCUSS*****

**Thank you, and enjoy! :D**

_"You won't have to worry about anything."_

_Beast moved a lock of Raven's hair out of her eyes, letting his fingers drag gently across her soft skin while he watched her, drank in her every move. He was slowly lowering himself down to her, and her eyelids were fluttering for her violet irises to look between his eyes and his lips. He could feel her heart beat accelerate, feel her cold body become warm under his touch, and he brought her face closer. She smelled of mist and flowers, so unique and enticing. His lips hovered, waiting for her to make the final move._

_"I...I..."_

_All it took was a slight tilt of the head and he would be hers forever and she would be his. Beast held his breath, desperately looking for some response, any response, to satisfy what he had been waiting so long for._

_"I can't Beast."_

Another howl ripped through his throat; Beast was going to go hoarse shortly if he kept this up, but what did it matter anymore? The purpose, _his_ purpose, had a purpose all her own, and it was not the one he had been hoping for.

Occasionally another far off wolf would respond, requesting to know why his midnight song to the crescent moon was so sad, but he wouldn't howl back. How could you explain to an animal a human complication? Wolves would understand the singular mate thing; not that he _couldn't_ have another woman, but rather he didn't _want_ another woman. The...animal instincts within him told him that she was it, she would be the one to satisfy his every need.

_I guess this just makes me another dumb animal._

"Beast?" A voice called, and for a second, he thought it was Raven. He thought maybe she had taken some time to think it over and came to the conclusion that she cared for him just as he cared for her. Out of the underbrush, Robin emerged, and Beast deflated, turning his large head to look back out at the Tamarean kingdom bathed in darkness. He didn't want to talk to anyone, but they apparently wanted to talk to him.

"Beast what're you doing up here? I thought you went to get Raven." Robin approached him and Beast growled, warning his brother that he was in no mood to talk. Robin hesitated; he knew how pissed off his younger brother could get, but for some reason, he insisted on talking, "Look, Raven came back to camp and said she'll leave in the morning if we can't come up with any other ideas. Starfire, as brilliant as she is, thought that maybe we could kidnap the prince and force him into a deal or something."

Beast's shaggy head turned and his dark, beady eyes fixed on Robin. His brother was dead serious. Beast slowly shifted back to his normal self but didn't move or bother standing up, but replied, "Maybe she wants to get married."

"She...what?"

"She said it's her duty and whatever, so just let her go," Beast muttered, tossing a rock over the cliff. "We'll be better off without her."

There was a pause before his brother asked, "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing!" Beast snarled, jumping up. "I tried to talk her out of going and she didn't give two shits about what I had to say! Hell, I told her I would drop everything to be with her, and she just..." He pulled at his hair and finished bitterly, "She dumped me on my ass."

Robin sighed. "Beast, she's terrified. Her kingdom is about to be attacked and in her mind, this is the only way to go through with it. She's trying to minimize casualties." Beast didn't look at him and he added, "If we go kidnap the prince, not only would it help her, but it could also really help us."

He finally met his older brother's gaze and gave in, following him back to camp. It was going to be him, Robin, and Starfire that went since they were easiest to disguise and Starfire was strong enough to carry Robin so they could fly there quickly. While Robin explained the battle plan, Beast tried to not look at Raven leaning against a tree in the corner of his eye; he tried to ignore every move she made, and tried to ignore how his pulse rose whenever she spoke or added something.

"Alright, let's try to be in and out and back before dawn," Robin concluded, smiling at Starfire, who blushed and looked away. Beast wanted to puke; Robin was always so smooth with the ladies.

The three other brothers wished them all good luck, and Raven walked forward, giving her sister a long hug and telling her to be safe. As she backed away, she nodded at Robin, and her eyes flicked to Beast for a moment, long enough for him to recognize red puffiness around them in the firelight, before she looked away and retreated to the tents.

Starfire cleared her throat. "Shall we go?"

Infiltrating the castle ended up being the easier part of their night. All it took was an open window and bam, they were in. Hiding from occasional late-night guards or anyone from the house was a bit harder, but not impossible. But now, Beast and Starfire were waiting outside the prince's room while Robin went in to grab him and go.

Robin and Starfire.

So far, all Robin cared about was making sure she was okay, checking up on her practically every five seconds just to make sure she didn't die or something, and honestly, it was pissing Beast off. _Especially_ since she didn't do anything to try to stop it!

"You appear unwell," Starfire murmured to him outside the door.

Beast barely glanced at her as he answered, "I'm fine."

"Is it about the mission?"

"No."

"Perhaps your brothers?"

"No, Starfire."

"You are unwell because of sister Raven?"

"I'm fine!" He growled loudly, and they stopped moving or breathing for a moment to make sure no one came running down the halls to check on the commotion.

Starfire smiled softly. "It is sister Raven, is it not?" Beast declinded to answer. "She said she was unwell also before we left, but she would not give me a reason...your brothers have explained that you two are...what was the term, 'hot for each other'?"

Beast wanted to face palm, and he was glad it was dark. "Look Starfire, I appreciate the concern, but I'd rather not talk about her right now."

Starfire nodded slowly and they stood in silence before she said, "You must know that sister Raven did not intend to hurt you, friend Beast." Beast groaned internally, begging Starfire to just _shut up_. "It is not that she does not feel 'hot' for you, but rather that she cannot express these feelings."

That caught Beast's interest, and he turned to her. "What do you mean?"

She looked down at her hands, and began slowly, "Sister Raven is...unique, as my father would say. She has gifts that are not easily controlled; they require her to put emotion aside, or she would be very chaotic to be around. Growing up, it was hard for me to understand why she would not laugh or cry or get angry, but she explained to me that that was how she was raised."

Beast urged her to continue, completely forgetting about his brother.

Starfire took a deep breath before saying, "Sister Raven was born in a very distant land. She had the same father as all the other children, and her mother she never knew. She was raised to be part of an army that would conquer everything it came across, and because of that, she can fight very well. But she was singled out due to her powers and forced into doing specific tasks for her father. When she disobeyed, she was beaten or starved, and so she chose not to disobey." Starfire paused and held back a sob. "Sister Raven tortured and abused many people while she was young, and she tells me that she can always remember what they sound like, every single person.

"Eventually sister Raven grew to realize the wrong she was doing and attempted to use her power to help the other children escape. It did not go well and the children were captured and she was sentenced to die. Luckily, a group of mercenaries came that night and killed a lot of her people, including her father and the not special children. They took the gifted children and brought them back to their king, who used them for profit and threats. Sister Raven had often times tried to revolt and flee, so she was abused and starved a lot, and her powers had tried to help her escape by taking over her emotions, but she did not want to hurt more people than she already had. Father found her when he went to negotiate peace offerings with the king and he stole her away and taught her how to control her powers." Starfire sighed heavily. "And that, friend Beast, is why sister Raven chooses not to show emotions."

Beast was astounded. To think that he had thought all this time that she never cared for him, when she was really just trying to...to _protect_ him.

"I have to talk to her!" He said loudly, and there was a crash from inside the room.

Starfire knocked the door open and the two rushed inside to find the prince, with white hair dancing in the breeze and piercing blue eyes on fire, kneeling on Robin's back and pressing one knee into his shoulder, pulling the connecting arm back towards himself, making Robin cry out in pain.

"Robin!" Beast and Starfire shouted simultaneously.

Starfire shot a green bolt at the prince, knocking him off his feet. Beast changed into a tiger and held him down while Starfire grabbed Robin and fled out the window. Beast growled at the prince before shifting into a bird and following them out.

Raven came out of the tent and sat by the fire, poking at it occasionally with a stick she enveloped with her darkness. Cy was also sitting down, but he wasn't really paying attention to anything. He would look from the forest to the tent to the sky and back to the fire before starting all over again. The younger brothers were already sleeping, and Cy went to check on them before sitting back down.

"How are you so calm?" He groaned, pinching his nose.

Raven shrugged. "I'm worried, but I trust them."

There was a pause and Cy sighed, "I trust Robin, and Starfire can probably take care of herself...it's just Beast I'm worried about." Raven looked away as Cy said his name and there was an awkward silence that grew between them. "Did...something happen between you two when you left and he went to get you?"

"You could say that," She mumbled, throwing the stick into the fire and watching it explode. Cy raised an eyebrow at her and she ran a hand through her hair, explaining, "He just...he doesn't understand that there is no other way to get the Titanians to stop this war! He thinks that we can just run away or something and everything will be fine."

Cy sighed and sat up. "That sounds like Beast...always looking for the easy way out."

Raven nodded. "So we fought and he left and I feel bad, but nothing can happen between us because I have a responsibility." She sighed. "I wished I lived as carefree as you guys do..."

Cy laughed humorlessly and Raven looked at him, confused. He shook his head, saying, "You have it all wrong, princess. Me and my brothers didn't choose to live like this, trust me."

"Then how did you end up like this?"

Cy rubbed his head and looked at the fire before saying quietly, "We lived in a village at the base of these mountains, separating Titantia and Tamarea. Our parents were the ones who took care of everyone, sort of like the king and queen, but they didn't want to be called that. Anyway, one day some merchants from Titania were trying to find passage to Tamarea and got lost, and Beast brought them to our village. It wasn't exactly a secret that we were there, but no one had ever visited us before. The merchants got directions, but instead headed back to Titania to tell the king all about us. The next day he wound up at our doorstep, telling us to pledge rule to him or there would be consequences."

He paused, taking a deep breath. "Needless to say, when we didn't answer, they got greedy. Soldiers came in and began striking down anyone they saw. My parents sent all their children to negotiate a treaty with the king, except Beast because he was injured from whatever stupid thing he had been doing that day. While we were gone...well...Beast has this temper on him, and it takes a lot for it to come out, but when it does..." Cy shuddered.

"For...what to come out?" Raven asked slowly.

He shook his head. "We call it the Thing. Beast changes into this giant, gnarly creature that isn't even him anymore. The Thing wiped out all the soldiers, but apparently its blood lust wasn't satisfied." Cy wiped his eyes before continuing. "It killed everyone that wasn't already dead from our village. Our mom and dad tried to stop him, but-" Cy choked and looked away, taking deep breaths. "A lot of our siblings were killed when we went to negotiate, and me, Robin, and the twins were the only ones to escape. But coming back to that...

"Beast takes all the blame for himself. For introducing the merchants, for becoming the Thing, for killing our parents...Robin never expressed any emotion to how he felt when Beast told us everything, but when you healed Beast earlier, let's just say he didn't fall into Robin's fists."

"Oh my God..."

Cy nodded. "We struggled to survive for a long time and became petty thieves. Eventually Robin decided that we should try to ask other kingdoms to fights with us to avenge our family and friends, so we went around asking for help, but..." He sighed. "A lot of kings wouldn't even see us. And so when we were planning for Tamarea, we knew we had to get an audience with the king somehow, so we thought maybe if we kidnapped the prince, we could get him on our side and then tell the king everything." Raven nodded, and he added quietly, "Beast was really out of it for a while. I thought maybe he'd never get back to being his old self again, but then..." Cy glanced up at Raven. "I don't know, something about you changed him. He laughed, smiled, told dumb jokes; he was Beast again. And before he left tonight, he was back to the miserable lump he was before you showed up."

Raven blushed and looked down at her lap. "What are you trying to suggest?"

Cy raised his hands. "I'm just saying that, as of right now, you're the only thing keeping him from going crazy again. And, well...even if you don't see him quite like he sees you, I'm sure you still feel _something_ for the guy, right?"

Raven stared at her hands, and just as she was about to answer, the three were back. Raven jumped up, ready to embrace her sister, when she heard Robin moaning and twisting in agony in her arms. She frowned and had Starfire set him down inside a tent for her to heal him.

"Will he be unharmed?" Starfire asked worriedly.

Raven finished healing and nodded. "He'll be fine. What happened?"

"I am unsure...Beast and I were doing the chatting and...I am unsure."

Raven nodded and patted her arm. "It was worth a shot. Why don't you get some sleep? You've had a long night."

Starfire sighed. "May I stay with friend Robin?"

Raven smiled and hugged her sister, walking out of the tent. Beast was sitting with Cy by the fire, and his eyes instantly shot up to meet hers. She stared at him for a moment before offering a small smile and disappearing into the nearest tent, which just so happened to be his.

**Ahhh I really liked how this turned out :)**

**Please review, favorite, follow, all that jazz! I will try to post ASAP, I promise!**

*****IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ: For the next chapter I was bouncing around the idea of adding smut or not (it would be BBRae so calm down). I have written smut before, but I wasn't sure if I should or not. I can write the chapter either way, but it would REALLY REALLY REAAAALLLLLYYYYY help me if you guys could review and tell me your thoughts? Obviously I would have to change the rating, but I don't think that's a major issue.*****

**Thank you so much, till next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sooo you guys were really pushing no smut...haha so here is your appropriate chapter :D**

**Sorry it's late and short and stupid, I've been having a bit of a busy week, I don't know when the next will be up, but I encourage you all to review to encourage me to write! Cuz that's how it works, right?**

**Enjoy!**

Raven awoke the following morning with the sun still rising beyond the Tamarean kingdom. She felt warm, and looking down at herself noticed a blanket had been placed on her some time in the night, but didn't see the green changeling in the tent. Raven tried not to feel too disappointed, but instead stood and gathered her things into her trunk besides fresh clothes to change into.

She didn't know when she fell asleep last night, but Raven knew that she had already made up her mind to sneak out before the others awoke. Starfire would either sense her leaving or know where to find her; maybe she would return to Tamarea and tell their father to hold the army.

Regardless of her sister's choice, Raven had to leave. She couldn't say goodbye or they wouldn't let her leave, and goodbyes were hard as it is without someone promising you a better life. Thinking of the memory of before, Raven shuddered slightly, her fingers lightly touching where his had been on her cheek.

Grabbing her clothes and trunk, she left the tent silently. She walked only for a few minutes before she found a river connected to a gentle waterfall. Glancing back the way she came, Raven warily removed her clothes and her gem belt before diving into the water, relishing in the cold around her. She stood under the waterfall and let the water cleanse her body.

Raven didn't know how long she stood under the water, but she jumped when she heard another splash in the water. Looking around, she saw a green head poke itself above the surface, and she covered herself hastily before sinking into lower water.

"What the hell are you doing here Beast?!" She hissed, attempting to control her emotions. Without her belt, there's no telling what could happen if she felt too strongly one way or another. Beast turned and grinned at her that grin that made her heart melt. She looked away and he swam towards her, causing her to swim back. "This isn't decent and I want you to leave right now."

"Just because you're a princess doesn't mean I take orders from you," He chuckled. "Besides, you're not the only one who enjoys an early swim."

He started moving closer and Raven threw up a shield of dark energy, making him jump back in surprise. "I don't want to hurt you Beast...please just leave."

"I thought...I thought you could only heal?" He asked, puzzled beyond compare.

Raven shook her head. "I can do much more, but I can't...I can't control it right now."

"Rae...you don't have to push your emotions away..." He swam towards her, backing her into the bank of the river. The only thing between them was a shield that was waning as Raven's emotions got mixed up. "Starfire told me everything about you...I just want to help..."

Raven's eyes flashed anger and a nearby tree uprooted as she barked, "That wasn't her story to tell! You have no right to know what happened to me, and it has no relevance to this conversation whatsoever!"

Beast took the opportunity to grab her elbows, pulling her close to him. Suddenly, everything thrashing in dark energy stopped, just like Raven's heart that seemed to be stalling. He was warm, contrasting her cold skin and the cold water, and very muscled the closer she was to him and without his clothes. His green skin was blatantly obvious but Raven had come to accept it, even allowing it to make him more attractive. Water was dripping off his face and his emerald eyes were intense with soft edges. Raven was thankful for the dark water surrounding her and the space that he courteously left between them.

"Maybe it wasn't right for her to tell me, but it doesn't change anything," He mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Raven asked, attempting to pull herself away.

"How I feel about you," He replied, tightening his grip on her, forcing her hands onto his chest, which was firm and smooth. He stood over her and his hands moved to her shoulders and down her back, stopping just below the shoulder blades. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and embrace in a fiery pit of passion before escaping with him into a happily ever after.

"Beast..." She began but he shook his head.

"Last night we tried talking," He rubbed the back of his neck. "And that got us nowhere. I don't want to talk; I want to act."

Raven was about to ask what he was talking about again when he lowered his face just a breath away from hers. He was waiting, a silent ask for permission. If she tilted her just a little upward, she would finally know what his lips tasted like, and what her body felt like when being warmed by another.

She should've said she can't; she should've turned away and left instantly.

But instead she looked up into his eyes and met his offer.

Beast waited anxiously; it was hard enough to have this pale beauty bare in front of him. He wanted to run his fingers over her skin and taste more than what he could see. He didn't know when his animal instincts might take over, but he didn't care. However, he did have the decency to let her make the decision.

Her violet eyes looked into his, and suddenly she was kissing him. He grinned and hungrily replied and held her firmly, pressing her against him and feeling her soft skin on his. She tasted sweet and luscious, and he never wanted to let go. Her hands tangled up in his hair and he moved down her cheek and jaw, letting his fang slip loose as he nibbled on her neck, earning a gasp from her lips where he returned himself while his hands fell to her hips.

It was pure passion and hormones that drove him.

Pulling away, he was breathing heavy, and he smiled at Raven. She didn't smile back however; instead, she looked away and swam towards the opposite bank of the river, climbing out and putting on her clothes. Beast didn't look away as she did so, and she continued walking away from camp.

"Where are you going?!" He yelled, running out of the water and chasing after her. "You can't just leave! Not after that!"

"After what? That kiss? That was...that was a mistake!" She replied, shaking her head.

He stumbled before catching up to her, forcing her to turn around. She kept her eyes trained on his face. "A _mistake_?! If it was a mistake, why did you seem to enjoy it?"

"Because I actually care for you Beast!" She cried, pushing him away. "That wasn't a kiss, that was you establishing some sort of...of _dominance_ over me!"

"Dominance?!"

She wiped her eyes; since when had she been crying? "I thought maybe...maybe if I kissed you, it would be alright. That you would show me that you wanted to take care of me and we could think of another plan or something...but that was some animalistic bullshit back there!" She looked away, adding, "That's not how one should have their first kiss."

Beast stared at her before sighing. "Rae, I'm sorry..."

"Stop calling me that!" Raven yelled, backing away. "I'm not your pet anymore."

"I never said you were...I didn't mean it like that, my animal instincts just took over a little...look, we can work this out and try again-"

"Don't you get it? I can never get that experience back!" Raven sniffed. "There's only one way to end this war, and I'm it. I have to marry the prince and move on with my life; he can't be any worse than you."

Beast winced and his ears lowered. "Raven please..."

"Goodbye Garfield," She muttered, floating upward until she was flying away.

And the changeling was left to stare up at the sky and blame no one but himself.

**If anyone was curious, I was going to make Beast push Raven a lot farther than kissing when his "animal instincts" took over.**

**I hope to post soon, I'm getting down to the wire guys! Only a handful more chapters before we're done!**

**Sad times, I know, but this isn't goodbye yet! We need a happy ending right? Right?!**

**We'll see... ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the delay and that I'm posting such a short and shitty chapter, but it's building to the main stuff guys! Next chapter will be much better, I guarantee, and then following is even more better and I'm so excited and sad that this is ending but ahhh!**

**Thank you so much for the reviews (((69 heheheheh))), they mean the world to me so please don't stop even though this is complete shit!**

**Enjoy!**

Raven didn't know what she wanted. Did she want to go back and try to work this out with Beast? No...no he had violated her in a way he couldn't possibly understand.

_"What's true love's first kiss?" Raven asked quietly._

_Starfire beamed and jumped over to her new sister, sitting on her bed with her legs criss crossed. She took her hands and Raven's skin crawled, but Starfire didn't notice as she began to explain._

_"The first kiss of true love is when you meet your charming prince and he and you do the falling of love for each other, and then he kisses you and it is oh so magical and romantic!"_

_Starfire swooned and Raven giggled a little. Her new friend was strange, but it was a good strange._

_"How will you know when you've found your charming prince?"_

_Starfire beamed, "Because he will be handsome and strong and protect you and want to kiss you first!"_

When Raven first met Beast, he was nothing like what she had pictured a "charming prince" to be. Hell, he wasn't even a prince! He was loud and obnoxious and pestered her to no end...but he was kind, and gentle, especially when Raven needed someone to be kind and gentle to her. He was her savior when she was panicked.

_That doesn't change the fact that he ruined your first kiss!_ A voice in Raven's head yelled at herself. _You'll never get that back!_

_It's not her fault..._Another voice mumbled in reply. _He can't control his powers just like she can't control his...they're perfect for each other..._

_So we just forgive him for ruining our dreams?_

_No...but we don't point blame...Raven wasn't exactly rejecting him..._

Raven rolled her eyes. _How could I reject him? I genuinely enjoyed it until I started thinking about it. I still really care for him._

_THEN WHY ARE YOU LEAVING?!_ All the voices shouted at once, making Raven wince. She didn't reply, but rather kept flying. Looking down into the Titanian valley, she saw the castle approaching and lowered herself down to the front gates. The guards looked at her funny and stopped her before entering.

"State your name and purpose," One said in a gruff voice.

Raven didn't even turn her head as she replied, "Princess Raven of Tamarea. I've come to marry the prince and put an end to this pointless feud."

The guards exchanged glances before letting her pass. She strode with determination, a false confidence that made people step out of her way. In her mind she was still having doubts, conflicts, emotional upheavals, but the gem belt kept her in check. She touched it absentmindedly, and it burnt her fingertips. Glancing down, she saw it glowing slightly, but refused to think much more about it. She just didn't have the time.

Walking into the castle, it seemed overly large. She smirked as she thought that maybe they were compensating, but then shook her head. This was going to be her new home, and regardless if the walls echoed whenever she breathed, she had to learn to appreciate it.

"Who are you?" A voice boomed, making her jump. She looked around and saw dead ahead was a man slouching in his throne with a large belly threatening to burst open his shirt and a beard that still had remnants of his past meals. Raven tried not to vomit in her mouth.

Raven approached the throne and knelt, saying, "My name is Princess Raven of Tamarea, your Highness. I have come to pledge my allegiance to Titania with the hopes of marrying your Prince and ending this war."

The king stroked his beard and asked warily, "Why are you just now coming to us?"

Raven looked up at him and answered flatly, "I was kidnapped by the infamous thieves that run these hills. I managed to escape and have come to...apologize."

The king barked laughter and waved for someone in the shadows to step out. Raven looked to see a tall man who looked slightly older than her, long, white hair flowing down his back, and as he walked closer, she caught a glimpse of his icy eyes.

Raven shuddered. Blue seemed so wrong...she preferred green.

"This is my son, Malchior," The king stated as the prince walked over and took Raven's hand, kissing it gently. She noted the scar on his cheek, wondering if Robin had given that to him from the skirmish last night. "Malchior, this is Princess Raven."

"So the stories are true for once," He chuckled lowly. "The jewels of Tamarea are kept locked up behind their castle walls."

Normally Raven would've blushed. But it actually put her off, making her distant from this completely different person that was more like her than she cared to admit. His eyes were a mystery, but she couldn't look long into them without feeling cold.

"I apologize for the delay," She mumbled, curtsying before him.

Malchior laughed, "As if you could've prevented it. I'll have father send out more troops looking for the bastards. But, in the mean time..."

The king nodded. "I want my son to marry the right princess for him. You'll spend today and tonight together, and if he chooses, we can conduct the ceremony tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Raven asked, slightly panicked.

"Is there something wrong?" Malchior asked, eyebrow raised.

She chewed her lip and shook her head. "No...it just seems...so fast."

He shrugged, "Do you want this war over with or not?"

Raven looked up at him and out the way she came, back into the hills, and she wanted to run. She wanted to be back in Beast's arms, to try and solve their problems, to have his warm skin pressing against hers rather than the chill of this princes.

But this wasn't a fairy tale.

"Yes, as soon as possible."

**I know, Malchior...but I figured I hated him so much I could write his eventual-...wait I need to shut up! No spoilers!**

**I'll try desperately to post ASAP, but I'm not going to make any promises...**

**Keep reviewing! They really do get me along when I need it, the next chapter I promise won't be so short and sweet!**

**Till next time!**


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